Vladimir Putin meets leaders of Saudi Arabia and UAE in whistle-stop Gulf tour 

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Vladimir Putin has met the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as part of the first visit by the Russian president to the Gulf region since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.

The two-stop tour on Wednesday is seen as an attempt by Moscow to show it can maintain close ties with the Gulf despite western attempts to force the region to comply with restrictions and sanctions against Russia.

Putin enjoys warm relations with both the oil-exporting Gulf states, which have remained neutral over Ukraine since the full invasion of February last year. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not ratified the statute that governs the International Criminal Court, which has indicted the Russian president for alleged war crimes.

The Russian leader is also keen to show that his country has not been isolated from the world because of the war, ahead of upcoming presidential elections in 2024.

Video of the meeting published by Russian state media showed Putin described the talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, day-to-day leader of Saudi Arabia as “very timely”. He also said it was “very important to exchange information and assessments about what is happening in the region”. 

Prince Mohammed and Putin discussed “working together to achieve stability in the Middle East”, the Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported, as well as highlighting their successful co-operation in energy, trade and investment. Putin also invited Prince Mohammed to visit Russia, Al Arabiya said.

Earlier, after meeting the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Putin thanked the ruler for the “UAE’s stance”, saying this had allowed relations between the two countries to reach “an unprecedentedly high level”.

Russian news agencies published a video of Putin’s arrival that included a fleet of jets flying over the UAE’s presidential palace, painting the sky in the colours of the Russian flag.

Putin used his trip to discuss a range of issues, from energy and trade co-operation to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

He brought a delegation of high-ranking Russian officials with him, including central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina, his top energy official Alexander Novak and Denis Manturov, Russia’s trade minister, who has a mandate to restore supply chains. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, was also in attendance.

Representatives of the most important Russian energy companies also took part in the talks, according to state news agencies.

The UAE has become the main international hub for Russian businesses and a significant route for circumventing western sanctions. According to Putin, the turnover of goods between Russia and the UAE rose 68 per cent in 2022. “I believe this year [the growth] will be even greater,” he added. 

Prince Mohammed and Sheikh Mohammed have developed personal relationships with Putin and touted themselves as interlocutors between Russia and the west. The two have been central to various mediation efforts relating to the Ukraine war, including prisoner swaps. 

Saudi Arabia’s economic partnership with Russia has been most strongly felt in the oil market. Prince Mohammed played a crucial role in helping bring Moscow into a broader Opec+ grouping, which last week expanded and deepened output cuts.